Endless sunset

Adriano was sitting at the porch when Renan and I got to the farm Taurinos. I asked Renan to stay at the porch with Adriano and went in to see his brother; I was annoyed by the way he exposed Renan during the meeting yesterday and put it bluntly to him when I found him on the Internet in his room. He defended himself deftly saying he'd have to take the issue to the Council's consideration anyhow.

"I don't care. The way you exposed Renan was stupid and insensitive. You don't seem to care much about what other people feel. All right I'm not asking you to, but pretend you're human sometimes and please don't visit embarrassment on people because you got a town to fix."

Andrés was silent. He sat on his bed, upset and seemed not to want to face me. I left him in his room and went out to the porch. On my way out, looked for Aparecida and Duílio to greet them but they had apparently left.

Adriano, Renan and I were talking. Renan was still shady after what he had been forced to hear about his night riding partner. Adriano that had set the controversy on fire yesterday now seemed to struggle to minimize the event. Strangely enough, I didn't see a contradiction between his attitudes yesterday and today though his behavior was really different. I thought he really had his mind set on watching the blacksmith's behavior. It was evident he had been cautious when suggesting such examination. As though he agreed with Guilherme's impression of having seen that expression and what not before.

"Yup, I suggested it because I don't think he is in his normal self. Don't feel like this, dude; he's not speaking from the heart. It's not really him who's talking."

"Yes, he doesn't mean it", said the familiar voice of the youngest Conselheiro after the traditional sound of those noisy coils of the screen door at the porch as the door opened, "don't let it discourage you he's not speaking as one of us, dude", Andrés timidly glanced at me at times to see if I approved of his redressing of the shituation during yesterday's meeting.

"I know, Andrés", Renan said in a shady mood.

"We need to find out what's going on with him. What might be causing it", I cut short, "we need to go back, try to figure how long it's been happening As if you had forgotten about something and went back to where you first thought of it to retrieve it."

"I saw that look before", said Andrés, "but now I don't even know if it was really before."

Adriano nodded. All of us, except for Renan seemed to have noticed his look. Some insane, lost in an endless gazing at something we ourselves wouldn't like to see personally.

"I need to pay attention to it", said the little officer with a crestfallen look.

"I want to apologize to you, Renan" and Andrés turned his eyes to me before he faced his friend, "I shouldn't have told that story in your presence."

Renan turned to Andrés and smiled that tiny smile of the kind that would sometimes play on the lads' faces here in town. A fleeting smile, loaded with the heavy vibrations from here. He said Andrés had done well.

"I needed to know who's riding at my side in the nights anyhow", he said.

The subject died. A silence was heard amid Tinnitus ringing sound that occupied more room each day. I don't want to imagine what's going to happen when it comes to a total stop. The Sun went down, going really low; only its last lights on the bleeding horizon. An eternal sunset for the time it's been happening. We could even make money out of hippie tourists that are willing to pay to watch a five-hour sunset here in Taurinos.

Another buzz was heard overlapping Tinnitus'. It was Aparecida and Duílio coming from town, judging by the road they were on. They said they saw the Obscure Police in full armor downtown. Renan and the Conselheiros goggled at the couple.

"But how can Anderson be in armor when we have no energy even for standing on our feet?", Renan was perplexed.

"I guess it is only you who have no energy even for standing on your feet, young man", asserted Duílio, "and he was standing there in armor and looking at all around him. Aparecida and I had to take a huge detour into the back streets to avoid crossing the main square. I saw him from a distance and still almost crashed the damn car. Gee, as people around say, no one deserves it."

We were glancing at each other while Renan asked Duílio to let him use the phone. He called Souza, asked him if the Police was still at the square. Souza replied there was nothing and no one left there any longer. Had he remained there for long, we'd have to go there and disarm the Agent, what on a day like today with this buzz all around us getting on our nerves in this new apocalyptic scenario in Taurinos would be equivalent to the pleasure it always is to attend a wake.